Reluctant Exorcisms
by Justin Joyce
There is a suitcase in my closet, black with a blue strap, a yellow take-out bag tied around the top handle to indicate ownership. It’s sat in my closet for a year and a half. I went out of my way to stash it in the U-Haul when I moved across the country.
Inside, in theory: an empty pack of Lucky Strike, a small box of rings and earrings, a refillable water bottle, some elementary school report cards with some signatures, a long since stale pack of gum, a marriage certificate, some half-filled notebooks, a tax report from 2006, a pack of stained playing cards, a thirty year old dog toy, a keychain reading #1 Diabetes, some old pictures that never found a frame, a heavy glass ashtray, and all that’s left of them. Things possessed.
I don’t have any proof that everything is still in there. I never opened it again.
Everyday, the same process. I approach it carefully. I run my hand over the strap. Listen to the jingle of the zippers. The devil tempts me to say goodbye and open the case. I set it back down, sit on my bed, stare at it. I never close the closet door, I always want to see it.
Justin Joyce [He/They] (@RadioAirHyper) is an emerging writer based out of Oregon, but forever Bronx-raised. Proudly autistic and asexual. He has written a lot, is always looking for writing work, and has designed several tabletop role-playing games. His work is focused around the surreal that surrounds mundane life and emphasizes emotion over logic. Recent work can be found in The Write-Up and Mineral Lit Magazine.